Portable oil heater



Jan. 27, 1942. J. H. HUPFER PORTABLE OIL HEATER Filed Oct. 1lI 1940 l111,1', ,1, ,I 1 I 7 Patented Jan. 27, 1942 2.271.073 PORTABLE OILHEATER Julius H. Hupfer, Glastonbury,

Conn., assignor to Bunsen Incorporated of Hartford, Conn., a corporationof Connecticut Application October 11, 1940, Serial No. 360,783

5 Claims.

The invention relates to portable oil burning heaters of the distillatetype which areespecially adapted for keeping warm the motors ofautomobiles and airplanes when stored in unheated garages or parked inthe open in localities subject to low temperatures, so that the coolingliquids will not freeze, the lubricants will not solidify, and themotors will start without delay.

The object of the invention is to provide a small, inexpensive portableheater which will utilize common readily procured fuel, and that iseasily lighted, starts burning quickly, generates high heat, is safefrom explosion and free from liability of being extinguished even bystrong drafts when once lighted.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 shows on a side elevation with partof the snulng cylinder broken away, of a heater that embodies theinvention.

Fig. 2 shows on larger scale, a vertical section on plane denoted bydotted line 2-2 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section looking down on l plane denoted by dottedline 3 3 on Fig. 2.

wick and snufing cylinder The heater has a reservoir i, preferably ofmetal, for containing the heating fuel which may be ordinary kerosene.The reservoir may have a handle 2. and a illling cap 3 with a smallorlce 4 to permit the entrance of air as the fuel is consumed. Around acentral opening through the top of the reservoir is an upwardlyprojecting wail 5 and encircling this wall and bounded on the outside bya wall 6 is a channel 1. This channel is designed to receive a smallquantity oi readily combustible fuel such as alcohol, which when ignitedwill generate heat for producing an initial vaporization of the heatingfuel and for lighting the burner. The channel l desirably contains awick 8.

Set into the wall 5 below its upper edge is a burner head which consistsof a disk 9 that has an upwardly extending flange I0 around a centralopening and an upwardly extending flange Ii that encircles and is spacedfrom the ilange lil. The disk 9 rests on a ledge I2 formed around theinside of the wall 5 and is desirably retained in place by a spring ringi3. The disk 9 has a plurality of perforations I4 between the flangesIll and Il and also a plurality of perforations l5 outside of the flangeIl. and extending across the under face of the disk is a fine mesh wirescreen It.

A tube I1 passes through the center of the 05 disk and a wick "8, wovenof the usual absorbent material in the shape of a solid cylinder, isarranged to extend through the tube from slightly below the upper end ofthe tube into the reservoir.

Fitted upon and extending upwardly from the wall S that extends upwardfrom the reservoir is a relatively short perforated metal cylindricalshell i9. Fitted to the flange il that extends upward from the burnerhead is a relatively short perforated metal shell 20. The perforationsthrough these shells are substantially the same diameter. The upper endoi the shell 20 is tightly closed by a plate 2| which is shown as havingoutwardly extending fingers 22 that engage against the outer shell i9and center the upper end of the shell 20 without practical interferencespace 24 between the shells functions as a combustion chamber when theheater is in use.

From the center of the plate 2l which closes the top oi the inner shellis an upwardly extend ing spindle 25 that at its upper end has aperforated metal dispersion disk 2B of substantially the same diameteras the diameter oi' the outer shell. A cylindrical fine mesh wire safetyscreen 2l with its vertical Wall protected by a metal grill 2B is placedover the burner with its lower end closely fitted within and attached tothe wall I that extends around the ignition channel 'l by a commonbayonet joint 29.

Over and enclosing the screen is a removable cup-shaped snufing cylinder30. The side and top Walls of this cylinder are closed and the loweropen end loosely rests upon the edge of the wall 6. Perforated lugs 3|project outward from the wall 6 for the purpose of receiving the endsof-a bail 32 by which the heater may be hung under the hood from anyconvenient bar or other projection of an automobile or other motor inposition to keep the motor warm.

To use the heater described the snuillng cyl- Inder is removed and setone side, the reservoir supplied with fuel, usually kerosene, the screenslightly raised and a small quantity of ignition fluid, such as alcohol,is injected into the channel 1 at the top of the reservoir around theoutside of the burner head and ignited. As soon as the ignition fluid islighted the screen is lowered into place. The burning of the ignitioniluid continues only long enough to heat the burner head and cause avolatilization of the heating fuel in the inner shell. or vaporizingchamber 23. and

ignite the vapor which escapes from the vaporising chamber to thecombustion chamber 24 or space between the two perforated shells. Thesmall quantity of ignition fuel is soon exhausted and the burnercontinues to function with a hot name in the combustion chamber. Air forsupporting combustion and providing the proper mixture and drafts forgenerating a hot flame is drawn through the screen and through theperforations in the sleeves and burner head, and the resulting heat isspread throughout the entire interior of the screen by the dispersiondisk 2B. As air can enter through the screen but flame cannot pass fromthe interior to the exterior of the screen there is no liability ofexplosion or danger of accidental fire.

The perforations through the shells i9 and 20 permit of a draft acrossthe wick which assists the capillary action of the wick so that thestronger the draft the greater the volume of fuel drawn up and ignited,and yet the flame is so protected that it cannot be blown out orextinguished by any wind to which it may be ex' posed when in use.

Strong blasts of air blown through the screen from any direction socirculate around in the space between the inner and outer shells thatwhile on the side from which the blasts come be diverted it accumulateson the the heating fuel ignited. It has been demonstrated that theinternal air drafts are in such direction and the name burns with suchintensity that drafts having a velocity of many miles per hour againstthe screen will not extinguish the flame, and it is only when the supplyof oxygen is completely shut oil' by the application of the snuer thatthe flame can usually be extinguished.

The combustion of fuel in this heater takes place in such a localitythat the central wick does not become charred or burned sumciently torender it inefficient for a long period of time. and when this happensthe wick and the burner head are, as a unit, removed and discarded andanother unit substituted.

The invention claimed is:

l. A heater which comprises a reservoir with a central opening throughthe top. a burner head with annularly positioned perforations located insaid reservoir opening, a wick tube with an imperforate side wallsupported by and extending through said head. a cylindrical shell largerin diameter than the wick tube supported by said head 'and extendingupward higher than the wick tube, said shell having a perforated sidewall, a closed upper end and an open lower end encircling a portion ofthe annular-ly positioned perforations through said head and providing avaporizing chamber above the wick tube. a cylindrical shell larger indiameter than, spaced from and encircling the vaporizing chamber shelland extending upward higher than the wick tube, said larger shell havinga perforated side wall, an open upper end and an open bottom endencircling a portion of the annularly positioned perforations throughsaid head and providing a combustion chamber that is open at top andbottom about the vaporising chamber. a fine mesh screen resting upon thetop of the reservoir, spaced from and enclosing said shells and burnerhead. and a metal grill surrounding said screen.

2. A heater which comprises a reservoir with a central opening throughthe top, a burner head in said reservoir opening. a wick tube with animperforate side wall supported by and extending through said head, acylindrical shell larger in diameter than the wick tube supported bysaid head and extending upward higher than the wick tube, said shellhaving a perforated side wail, a closed upper end and an open lower endencircling a portion of the annular-ly positioned perforations throughsaid head and providing a vaporising chamber above the wick tube. acylindrical shell larger in diameter than, spaced from and enclrclingthevaporizing chamber shell and extending upward higher than the wick tube,said larger shell having a perforated side wall, an open upper end andan open bottom end encircling a portion of the annularly positionedperiorations through said head and providing a combustion chamber thatis open at top and bottom about the vaporizing chamber, an annularignition channel surrounding and spaced from the shell that forms theouter wall of the combustion chamber. a une mesh screen resting upon thetop of the reservoir, spaced from and enclosing said shells, burner headand ignition channel, and a metal grill surrounding said screen.

3. A heater which comprises a reservoir with a central opening throughthe top, a disk with annularly positioned perforations loosely locatedin said reservoir opening, a wick tube with an imperforate side wallextending through and loosely supported by said disk, a cylindricalshell larger in diameter than the wick tube supported by said disk andextending upward higher than the wick tube, said shell having aperforated side wall. a closed upper end and an open lower endencircling a portion of the annularly positioned perforations throughsaid disk and providing an enlarged vaporlzing chamber above the wicktube. a cylindrical shell larger in diameter than, spaced 0 from andencircling the vaporizing chamber shell,

and extending upward higher than the wick tube. said larger shell havinga perforated side wall, an open upper end and an open bottom endencircling a portion of the annularly positioned perforations throughsaid disk and providing a combustion chamber that is open at top andbottom about the vaporizing chamber, a line mesh screen resting upon thetop of the reservoir, spaced from and enclosing said shells and a metalgrill encircling said screen.

4. A heater which comprises a reservoir with a central opening throughthe top. a disk with annularly positioned perforations and an upwardlyextending flange loosely located in said reservoir opening, a wick tubewith an imperforate side wall extending through and supported by saiddisk ilange, a cylindrical shell larger in diameter than the wick tubesupported by said disk and extending upward higher than the wick tube.said shell having a perforated side wall, a closed upper end and an openlower end encircling a portion of the annularly positioned perforationsthrough said disk and providing an enlarged vaporizing chamber above thewick tube. a cylindrical shell larger in diameter than, spaced from andencircling the vaporizing chamber shell and extending upward higher thanthe wick tube. said larger shell having a perforated side wall, an openupper end and an open bottom end encircling a portion of the annularlypositioned perforations through said disk and providing a combustionchamber that is open at top and bottom about the vaporizing chamber, aperforated with annularly positioned perforatlons located 'is dispersiondisk of substantially the same diameter as that of the outer shellsupported by and spaced from the closed top of the inner shell, a nemesh screen resting upon the top of the reservoir, spaced from andenclosing said shells and disk, and a metal grill encircling saidscreen.

5. A heater adapted to be used where it will be subjected to strongblasts of wind, which comprises a reservoir for containing readilyvaporized liquid fuel, said reservoir having a closed bottom and sidewall and a central opening through its top, a burner head located insaid reservoir opening, said head having inner and outer annular rows ofperforations that communicate with the interior of the reservoir, a wicktube having an imperiorate side wall extending through the center ofsaid head, said tube being less in diameter than the diameter of theinner row of said perforations through the head, a wick extending upwardfrom the reservoir within the wick tube, a cylindrical vaporizingchamber that is larger in diameter than and that extends upward higherthan the wick tube, said vaporizing chamber having a perforated sidewall, a closed upper end, and having its lower end communicating withthe reservoir through the inner annular row of perforations in the head,an annular combustion chamber that is larger in diameter than andencircles said vaporizing chamber. said combustion chamber having aperforated side wall. an open upper end and an open lower end thatcommunicates with the reservoir through the outer annular row ofperforations in the head, a ne mesh screen enclosing said vaporizing andcombustion chambers, and a metal grill encircling said screen.

JULIUS H. HUPFER.

